Exploring the world one fiber at a time

Menu

Monthly Archives: April 2015

When you think beach in San Francisco you better have a hat and jacket packed in your bag. Beaches here are notoriously windy and chilly, which makes it tough for bikini wearing. However once you get past this, San Francisco beaches have some of the best views in city. They make a great place to spend the afternoon.

What did you do this weekend?

Advertisements

Share this:

Like this:

The trouble with stitch markers is that they disappear faster than you can say…well “stitch marker.” Generally, I use plastic rings or tiny safety pins. The tiny safety pins are super handy because you can adjust them at any point. Considering I have been making so many socks lately, the open stitch markers have been getting some serious use.

My current tool kit only has two stitch markers :(. This makes it tough to knit more than one project requiring markers. I figured it was time to add to my supply. Since I love a DIY project, I headed to Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft to stock up on some supplies.

Share this:

Like this:

I have really been in the spring knitting mood. All I have wanted to make are light, airy, and delicate items. Basically anything that screams “springtime.” My friend’s birthday is coming up so I thought a spring knit would be a perfect gift. After an assessment of my stash and some internet searching, I landed on lacy scarves. I whipped out my US size 10 1/2 needles and got to work. My friend’s birthday is in a week so I really had to get going. My fine motor skills took a minute to get use to the size contrast, but boy did my scarf grow.

Whit’s Lacy Beginnings Scarf

Sorry for the not so good picture. I was in a rush on my lunch break and needed to get the scarf in the mail. I plan on making another real soon so check back for a future pattern post soon 🙂

Share this:

Like this:

I have finally gotten around to taking pictures of my new sweater! I must say, this pattern came into my life at the perfect time. The back story: I was feeling a little bummed that I didn’t really get to wear any sweaters this year. The weather has been unseasonably warm (~70 degrees everyday). Since the cold weather decided to skip the Bay Area, I decided that short sleeve sweaters were a must. Boy was I pleased when the Interweave Knits, Spring 2015 issue arrived. The designs this season were awesome! I immediately put 4 of the sweaters in my queue.

The One Way Tee by Debbie O’Neill was a fairly easy knit. There is a lot of stockinette in between the lace panels, which means it was quick knit as well as TV watching friendly. One pattern change I did make was to knit the body in the round. I am glad I did this as it significantly cut down on my finishing time. I mean why weave in more ends than needed? When trying on my finished sweater, I was so pleased with the fit. I mean after all the work I put into creating a swatch, I was a little nervous that my efforts would have a bad result. I think most knitters biggest fear is an ill-fitting garment that took weeks to make.

Here are some pics of my new “baby.” The details of the pattern and process are here on my Ravelry page.

One-Way Tee by Debbie o’Neill

One-Way Tee

Now that my sweater is complete I have entered the all too familiar cycle of…What next?

Share this:

Like this:

I often feel like I am trying to compare new things to the life I know. I find myself making statements such as, “Well it is a lot like…” As much as formulating relationships helps me process new information, I find it good practice to sometimes just look at things tabula rasa (with a clean slate). Seattle, Washington was unlike any city I have ever been to. I never really found myself saying, “It’s a lot like…” Seattle was different…and I loved it.

At night, what you see is a city, because all you see is lights. By day, it doesn’t look like a city at all. The trees out-number the houses. And that’s completely typical of Seattle. You can’t quite tell: is it a city, is it a suburb, is the forest growing back?- Jonathan Raban, Author

I think the things that most amazed me was how green it was. Seattle definitely lived up to the “Emerald City” name. I mean how many cities do you know have more trees than buildings? I hope to get back to that beautiful city soon so that I can take more advantage of the green spaces. Good thing Seattle is only a short plane ride away :).

Share this:

Like this:

Sometimes picking yarn is a challange. If you are anything like me, you hardly ever use the yarn that is suggested in the pattern. Many times I don’t use the suggestion because the yarn called for is super expensive. Other times I am trying to use up some yarn in my stash. Here is a great article that breaks down 4 important factors you should consider when substituting yarn in your work.